Even if you spend hours researching the best practices for your workplace, there is always a risk of finding misinformation instead of facts. Unfortunately, the smallest of myths has the potential to disrupt or seriously damage your workplace if you aren’t careful. Here are some myths that could be hurting your workplace:
Myth: More Hours = Better Results
Working for an excessive amount of time can be detrimental to mental health, physical health, and general productivity. Scheduling employees for more hours hoping that it will increase production is a poor practice that can hurt your employees and your company. Don’t schedule employees for more hours than practical and do what you can to encourage work-life balance. Be careful of praising employees for taking on more hours than necessary because you may unintentionally continue the belief in this myth in your company.
Myth: People are Naturally Lazy
For a long time, there was a belief that humans are naturally lazy, and they need to be forced to work through incentives, like a paycheck, or through fear. That assumption created rigid workplaces with rules designed to control every aspect of an employee’s behavior. In reality, most people enjoy working and are motivated in their jobs through intrinsic motivation in addition to incentives like pay, benefits and employee perks. Nurturing workers’ natural desire to work through motivators like positive feedback will increase productivity and happiness in your workplace.
Myth: Fun has no Place at Work
Though work and fun are often kept separate, it’s not true that fun has absolutely no place at work. Many valuable relationships are made at work, and it’s mostly thanks to fun moments in the workplace. These relationships can create employee loyalty and trust. Work parties, lunch breaks, team meetings, and water cooler talk are all small ways that fun builds relationships and comradery in the office. Fostering these connections can keep your workforce happy and motivated. If your workforce is working remotely, you may need to come up with creative ways using technology to keep everyone connected.
Making your workplace great takes consistent effort. Remove these myths from your mind to make sure your employees are happy, healthy, and motivated.